World’s Longest Nanotubes

Even on nano scale, size matters. University of Cincinnati researchers are reporting “growing” nanotube arrays up to 18 mm in length, a development that might have some serious implications for the development of electronics for clinical/diagnostic applications:

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are of great interest because of their outstanding mechanical, electrical and optical properties. Intense research has been undertaken to synthesize long aligned CNTs because of their potential applications in nanomedicine, aerospace, electronics and many other areas.
Especially important is that long CNT arrays can be spun into fibers that are — in theory — significantly stronger and lighter than any existing fibers and are electrically conductive. Nanotube fibers are expected to engender revolutionary advances in the development of lightweight, high-strength materials and could potentially replace copper wire.
Years of effort by UC researchers Vesselin Shanov and Mark Schulz, co-directors of the University of Cincinnati Smart Materials Nanotechnology Laboratory, along with Yun YeoHeung and students, led to the invention of the method for growing long nanotube arrays. Employing this invention, the UC researchers (in conjunction with First Nano, a division of CVD Equipment Corporation of Ronkonkoma, New York) have produced extremely long CNT arrays (18 mm) on their EasyTube System using a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process…
Shanov notes that their research has had four major milestones this year already.
The figure above shows a CNT array image of UC|21, representing UC’s strategic mission statement.
“First, we were able to grow the arrays up to 18 mm,” he says, ticking off the achievements. “Second, we produced a uniform carpet of 12-mm carbon nanotube arrays on a 4-inch wafer, which moves the invention into the field of scaled-up manufacturing for industrial application. Third, we filed a patent application on the inventions at the US Patent and Trademark Office and, fourth, we were invited to participate in a very prestigious workshop (invitation-only) organized by NASA and Rice University, where we presented our latest results. The workshop focused on “Single Wall Carbon Nanotube Nucleation and Growth Mechanisms.” This event was attended by the best scientists in the world working on synthesis carbon nanotubes, from Japan, China, Europe and the United States. Our presentation was accepted very well and confirmed that with the current record of 18-mm-long carbon nanotube arrays, and also with the big area growth on 4-inch wafers, we are leading in manufacturing extremely long CNT arrays.